CERTH-IRETETH
The Centre for Research and Technology – Thessaly (CERTH) is a legal, non-profit entity organized under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), of the Greek Ministry of Education, Life Long Learning and Religious Affairs. CERETETH was established in January 2006.
CERTHconsists of four Institutes located in the capital cities of the four prefectures of the Thessaly Region and the Central Administration located in the city of Volos. More specifically, CERTH’s Institutes are: Institute of Mechatronics (IMTRONICS) located in Volos, Institute of Biomedical Research & Technology (BIOMED) located in Larissa, Institute of Technology and Management of Agriculture Ecosystems (ITEMA) located in Karditsa and Volos, and the Institute of Human Performance and Rehabilitation (PERFOTECH) located in Trikala.
The Center’s main mission is to conduct basic, applied, and technological research that leads to new products and services with industrial, economic and social impact and supports the R&D needs of local, national and European industrial and government institutions. Moreover, CERTH focuses on bringing together scientists from different disciplines in an environment with advanced technological capabilities aiming at dealing with pressing research topics, as well as solving complex problems which affect the quality of life, the environment, and the economic development of Central Greece.
The Institute for Research and Technology Thessaly (IRETETH) is responsible for the promotion of research in the areas of Micromechanics, Materials, Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Information and Telematic Systems, Robotics and Control Systems, Embedded and Wearable Systems and Sensors, Biomechatronics Technologies, and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). The Thessaly Mechatronics Institute is designed to support rapid prototyping of products, education/training in the field of mechatronics technology (with emphasis to non traditional applications), for providing services to the related local industry, support the development of new companies, and promote innovation in industrial activities. To accomplish these objectives, a number of laboratories are supported.
The team of IMTRONICS that will be engaged in this project has significant experience in operating systems, distributed systems and ubiquitous computing, including embedded and wireless systems, and has developed middleware but also applications in the area of wireless sensor networks, RFIDs, wearable systems and smart clothes. Most notably, this team was heavily involved in the design and implementation of a middleware for wireless sensor and actuator networks for the home domain in the context of a European ICT project, and intends to reuse the technology and expertise gained in this project; to the degree that this is appropriate as per the project’s system and application requirements. The team also has substantial hands-on development experience with various wireless sensor network platforms.
In Volos, CERTHrents a 353 sq. m. space inside the building of the Technological Park of Thessaly where the Central Administration Unit (CA), the ITEMA Institute branch in Volos and the IMTRONIKS Institute are located. Also, the Municipality of Volos has granted CERTHa four-story building of 7.608 sq. m. area in the city of Volos for the future relocation of the CA, IMTRONICS and ITEMA. CERETETH has research infrastructure and organized laboratories with high-tech scientific instruments (equipment) which together with the collaborating university laboratories account for CERETETH’s major advantage in the area of Thessaly.
